Memo

To: Cowan Road Elementary Principal School Improvement Team From: CC: Date: Subject: Kim Hollingsworth School Leadership Committee March 25, 2012 Library Media Program Evaluation

Overview The Georgia Department of Education provides a rubric for evaluating the library media program. It identifies the criteria that must be met in order to establish and maintain an effective school library media program. The rubric is made up of five categories; each containing target indicators, ranked by level of proficiency. The following is a list of the categories addressed in the rubric: Student Achievement and Instruction Staffing Facilities, Access, and Resources Administrative Support Staff Development

Findings Using the Georgia DOE Library Media Program Self-Evaluation Rubric, I assessed the current library media program to determine its effectiveness. In the areas of student achievement and instruction, facilities, access, and resources, the program scores mostly exemplary. In the area of staff development, the program scores proficient. Staffing and administrative support, scores more basic. The rubric indicates three areas of weakness within the administrative support category. There is an absence of a system media contact person to coordinate meetings on a regular basis. There is an absence of meetings with district administration, the schools leadership team, and the media specialist on a regular basis. There is an absence of an up-to-date system library media policy. The current policy is three years old, out of date, and does not include the procedures for technology.

Action Steps I would like to provide suggestions for improvement in the area of administrative support. The program received a score of proficient in the area pertaining to the media committee. To score exemplary, I recommend that the media committee be given a role in budgeting. The committee should also become active participants in the process of identifying resources to be purchased. We must determine a way for the system media specialists to hold and attend monthly systemwide meetings. With current budget cuts and the loss of media center paraprofessionals, this will be no easy task. Meetings will need to be held after hours. By making these monthly meeting times available, the library media policy could be rewritten to include technology procedures and brought up-to-date. I look forward to meeting with you and the Leadership Team to discuss ways to improve the library media program.

Kim Hollingsworth Practicum Student, Media and Technology